Working my way through the Fuller's seasonal release. We had our first actual accumulation of snow today, after a long drive back from work - if ever there was an occasion demanding a strong ale or barleywine, this was it!

Poured into a nonic. Clear copper, leaves about an inch of head, good lacing, a thick ring survives.

Tastes as good as it smells. Starts with a caramel bready hit, with a touch of roasted nuts, then on to a sweet, boozy, fruity finish. Medium bodied, nice subtle carbonation keeps this from getting cloying.

For those who want a bit more out of their pale ales, but don't want to go too far into barleywine territory, this is the ticket. Another fine brew from Fullers, and definitely among the better strong ales I've come across. Making this one a Christmas brew for sure!

Acquired at Sainsbury's Vauxhall, a supermarket, in London last May. Been in the fridge ever since. Pours a beautiful reddish brown, belying the "golden" on the label. then again, I didn't think this was going to be a pale beer. Aroma is sweet with slight caramels and a "Dry smell" that I'm attributing to the hops. Big caramel and toffee with very bitter earthy hops in there. Huge. Almost like a proper English version of Arrogant Bastard. Call him a Rough Yob. Kind of like drinking candy. Sweet and malty and yum and yum and yum. Balanced with the hops, but not like the licorice taste of 1845. Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and proper, and drinkability goes through the roof with its lovely English character.

Had to have one of these when I saw it in the fridge in a Fuller's in North Greenwich - this is one of the best English beers i've ever had. Pours a rich goldy-red, a wonderfully vivid colour, with minimal head. Smell is not hugely strong, but sweet and fruity. It was perhaps a bit too cold (i've never quite discovered the best temperature to serve this beer at), but there are a lot of fruit flavours in here, with the satisfying alcoholic kick coming in towards the finish. Superbly well-balanced for a beer of its strength, nowhere near as heavy as most barley wines. And dangerously drinkable - you'll find it an effort of will to go back to a weaker beer after this...

500 ml bottle poured into a Pint glass
Appearance... amber/copper beer with head colour white of almost 2 fingers
Aroma...malt, alcohol, caramel, hops. Fresh and strong smell with a touch of malty aroma
Taste... fenolic with a sweet malty touch, bitterness appears soon lasting all the time, with a dry finish
Mouthfeel... medium/full body and medium/soft carbonation
Overall... a very nice strong ale, bitterness is present but in a perfect combination with malt and alcohol. One of my favourites, definitely a great English ale in his section (strongs ales) .

Looked good, a creamy coloured foaming head sat on top of a dark mahogany, clear body.

Toasted malts and rich molasses hit my nose, toffee and treacle but without a sweetness, more a prosperous, well-healed, confident air about it. In short, it smells like a rich persons tipple.

That richness carries on into the flavours, very oak wood rather than plywood, delicious, sumptuous and very moorish. I almost forgot it is 8.5%ABV, no wonder it tasted so full, warming and luxurious.

There are few beers in the world better than a well made English Strong Ale and this is up there with the best, I take my hat off to Fuller's, this is one well crafted beer and well worth the extra couple of pence I paid for it.

At the pub I found this gem the beer was cheaper than Amstel and Guinness!
A lovelybeer, mostly reminiscent of a tawny port , packed full of flavour and beautifully balanced.
Being used to beer which one can just drink and drink again I had to adjust my sights a little.Personally, bearing in mind the sheer amount of flavour packed into the brew, I regard it more as a barley wine rather than a beer.Semantics? Perhaps but that's how I see it.

Assertively aromatic with molasses, brown sugar, and a touch of prune; there is also some caramel and breadiness. The body is a deep, orange-ish amber with an off-white head. The flavor upfront is a slightly sour, bread-like maltiness with a bit of toffee; there is some smooth alcohol, a raisin-like fruitiness, and some spicy, herbal hops. The body is somewhat light with subtle but crisp carbonation. The alcohol provides some warming.

Very flavorful in all the right ways. Deliciously malty. Not very bitter. The alcohol is quite noticeable.

A: Pours out a beauitful peachy gold colour. Has a beautiful cream coloured head which is complex and comprises various small bubbles. Poured straight into the middle and after a couple of minutes there's not much head but what's left remains for the duration.

S: Caramel and fruit. Strikes me as smelling like Bassett's Fruit Allsorts, which is quite unreal.

T: An even mix of strong sweetness and bitterness, woodyness, a touch of liquorishness and a tropical fruit which is either mango or guava. Very balanced, silky smooth.

M: It's hard to describe the carbonation but this is truly the silkiest, smoothest beer I've ever had.

O: An English strong ale which is exceedingly smooth and well balanced.

• Look – 5.0 – Can’t get much better than this – Strong initial head that levels back to about half an inch after about 5 minutes. Then fades to a gloppy aggregation of artfully creative “inverse puddles”.
• Smell - - 4.0 – Can’t get much other than a tiny bit of sweet molasses.
• Taste 4.75 – Sweet syrupy molassassey goodness, but not overly heavy. Some bitterness towards the end balances the sweetness.
• Feel - 4.5 – Thick and solid, but not over the top in any respect – just right for the style / ABV.
• Overall - 4.75 – This is a great beer, very balanced, a definite classic.

On tap at the Beer Bistro. 275ml serving into a Fulelr's branded tulip.

Reddish copper body with an offwhite head. Minimal lacing and only some modest retention. Nose has rich caramel notes, a sligth breadiness and some dried darker fruit notes. Taste is similar and offers a bit more complexity - dried fruits and caramel notes dominate and establish a really solid and quite English malt profile. Modest sweetness and a subtle dryness and bitterness in the finish. A bit of alcohol is interwoven within the flavour, and adds some complexity. Excellent mouthfeel and completely smooth on the palate. An excellent English strong ale, and I'd certainly have this again. Tremendously disappointed that I passed on this when bottles were available at the LCBO.

Golden Pride is in fact a resplendent bronze. One should hardly be surprised considering that in England anything lighter than brown was traditionally referred to as "pale"; seen through the eyes of a Brit this very well may be golden. It's clear (allowing some distortion) and its head is merely a long, thin string of unbroken white.

The bouquet boasts a dynamite amount of fruit that features both tropical (mango, papaya) and the sticky dark varieties we're more accustomed to in English ales: dates, figs, and that sort of thing. It's the former that really grabs my attention, however - it smells like candy. It's as if toffee and caramel were drizzled on top.

Golden Pride is really fantastic beer. It has a chewy-sweet biscuity malt base that tastes of honey, golden raisin and toffee and a hop bill that is so earthy and pungent so as to be almost scratchy. Then, as if that weren't enough already, what parachutes in but chunks of mango, papaya, and candied ginger, rounded out by water minerals and alcohol esters.

Most readers on this site will recognize the beer as basically an American strong ale in British dress - the fruity hops being cut with more grassy, herbal notes as well as a super-sized serving of caramelly, dried fruit maltiness. Notes of prune and dates become prominent with warming but their sweetness is subdued by nutmeg-like spice.

Fuller's Golden Pride contradicts the official line that traditional British (not to mention big brand-name) beers must be ordinary and plain. This is inspired despite retaining its classic features. I've said it before but I've never said it with more confidence than now having tried this: there may be no better brewery in Britain, perhaps the world, than Fuller.

Their Vintage Ale series is based on this recipe, with seasonal tweaks of the malts & hops. The Vintage is good, but always wonder if it's really worth the sticker price. This one doesn't come in a fancy box and it's as good as any vintage... hell of a value.

T: Loads of fruit on the palet: pear, mango, candied pineapple, swedish berries; nice sponge toffee from the malt with a generous bitterness for balance. Only a hint of alcohol warmth. Truly remarkable.

M: Moderate body is smooth with a slightly drying alcohol finish.

O: I've wondered why they call it Golden Pride, but this just might be the Gold standard for an English strong ale... and even a big industrial brewer should take pride in that.

I've really been impressed by several of the English ales Ive came across recently.

Body has a very creamy but bright clear texture to it. Orangish mahogany colors with a boisterous white head which settles well and leaves heavy lacing.

Aroma is refined and although it offers a lot its not overpowering. Some spice in there, some biscuit, some pininess reminiscent of an aged SN Bigfoot. No real citrusness to it.

Tongue is lush and infinitely entertaining, but again, in a controlled and comfortable way. Theres no hop burn here, no unpleasant sweetness, just a well made blend of biscuit, pine spice with a lightly creamy texture.

Reminds me greatly of a one to two year old Bigfoot, however as this is more than likely more traditional, maybe it should be the other way around.

http://youtu.be/wHAngPrzh2k
Oh my word! This is very strong but unlike many strong beers it's not a sumo wrestler in a tutu. There is a lorry load of honey nut oaty caramel lushness spread over Granny's homemade fresh baked bread. Warm marmalade and hot cuddles. These flavours are powerful yet subtle and balanced the alcohol isn't just there for numbers but adds to the symphony and helps carry those heavy flavours. These brewers are artists and should be celebrated as such. The Tate gallery should have a Fuller's exhibition.
B G Score 97/100.